By Stephen D. Riley, Special to AFRO “The Bay Area allows me to be who I am, as a city, to just blend in, and the team allows me to do the same thing,” Maryland native and the ultimate LeBron counter, Kevin Durant told Yahoo Sports this weekend. I sulked miserably after I heard the news. […]
Author Archives: Stephen D. Riley
Special to the AFRO
Posted inNational Sports, Sports, Sports Columnists
Serena Continues to Impress, Continues to be on Backburner
By Stephen D. Riley, Special to AFRO It shouldn’t matter that Serena Williams is a woman. And it shouldn’t matter that she’s Black. She’s probably in the top five of best athletes of all time and she does not get credit for it. Williams will play on June 4 against Maria Sharapova at the Grand Slam […]
Posted inAfro Briefs, National Sports, Sports, Sports Columnists
Death, Taxes and LeBron in the Finals
By Stephen D. Riley, Special to AFRO A believable shocker. I don’t think the phrase has been coined but it was the only words I could get off watching LeBron James clinch an eighth-straight Finals appearance in an 87-79 Game 7 win over Boston on Memorial Day Eve. Counting LeBron in for another championship round wasn’t the shocker but analyzing the way he […]
Posted inSports
LeBron Should Do Cleveland a Favor and Leave
By Stephen D. Riley, Special to AFRO We’ve been pondering LeBron James’ next stop for the past few seasons while the Cleveland Cavaliers have been keeping their fingers crossed that he doesn’t depart again. James has done wonders for the Cavs organization, turning a ‘90s laughingstock into an annual Finals contender with merchandise sales through the […]
Posted inSports
LeBron’s Not Jordan, He’s Better
By Stephen D. Riley, Special to AFRO The LeBron vs. Jordan debate has raged since James’ rookie season back in 2003. It’s time to cut it out, LeBron’s better. No, he’s not better skill-wise and probably will never have the amount of rings, MVPs and accolades that Jordan has. But it’s LeBron, he’s just better. Where’s […]
Posted inD.C Sports
District Sports Teams Living up to ‘Scandal’ Series
By Stephen D. Riley, Special to AFRO Sex, bigotry and racism—Washington, D.C., has it all, and I’m not even talking about politics. If you’re a sports fan trapped in the District I don’t know who you’re more ashamed of after the first week of May, the Wizards or the Washington football team. If allegations from the […]
Posted inNational Sports
From Shazier to Shaquem, NFL Draft Full of Headlines
By Stephen D. Riley, Special to AFRO The NFL has been under so much scrutiny the past few years for health concerns, domestic violence accusations and social issues that it feels almost unfair to pile on during a weak moment but heck, why not? The NFL Draft continues to be pimped out by the league at […]
Posted inSports Columnists
I Think I Love the Wizards, but I’m Cheating On Them with ‘The Process’
By Stephen D. Riley, Special to AFRO In 2007, “I Think I love My Wife,” a comedy starring comedian Chris Rock and my then-crush, Kerry Washington, hit theaters nationwide with good success. Rock played a family man in a relationship that had grown stale while his attention swayed heavily toward the dangerously attractive Washington, an old friend […]
Posted inSports
Wizards Coach Calls Players Selfish A Week Before Playoffs
By Stephen D. Riley, Special to AFRO It is common for teams to gel in time for the playoffs. It’s rare that teams fall apart a week before the postseason begins. But, what better place or team for it to happen to than the classically dysfunctional Washington Wizards? After another head-scratching, buffoonish loss — this time […]
Posted inSports
Thanks for Nothing, Loyola-Chicago
By Stephen D. Riley, Special to the AFRO Thanks for all the bracket-busting and Cinderella Story specials but the postseason dance for the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers is officially over. The Ramblers became a quick darling after dropping Miami, Tennessee and Nevada by a total of four points in three rounds but ran into a hotter team […]
Posted inSports
Redskins Should Tank for No. 1 Pick In 2019
Goodbye Kirk Cousins; hello 3-13 in the NFC East. Washington Redskins fans watched one of the better quarterbacks in the league walk away over Jedi mind games and, instead, management picks up longtime average starter Alex Smith? The Washington football franchise might as well blow it up…start on over. Washington Redskins Washington’s running game had […]
Posted inSports
Wizards’ Kelly Oubre the Latest NBA Player to Open Up About Mental Illness
Add Washington Wizards swingman Kelly Oubre Jr. to the growing list of NBA players sharing their personal experiences with mental health issues. Oubre admitted to NBC reporters that he’s “going through a lot” internally. An adolescence in New Orleans and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina shuffled Oubre to different schools and living environments. His breakthrough […]